Abstract
Various attempts have been made to solve what seems to be an interesting philosophical puzzle about magic performances, viz., given that they believe magic isn’t real, how do we explain the audience’s behaviour without suggesting they are irrational or stupid? First, doxastic accounts which end up modifying our conception of belief, either by introducing “emotional beliefs” or by introducing degrees of certainty in belief (Grassi & Bartels 2021; Kuhn & Pailhès 2022; Ortiz 1994). Second, non-doxastic accounts which appeal to exotic and arguably controversial mental states like alief (Leddington 2016). I argue that the puzzle depends on the assumption that the appropriate object of appreciation in magic performance just is the illusion of an impossible event in the first place. Rejecting that assumption opens the door for a different kind of doxastic account that does not lead to the puzzle. It also provides a different option for appreciating magic performance.
Keywords
magic, representation, belief, alief, the paradox of fiction, illusion
How to Cite
Schulz, A. K., (2025) “Magic: A New Belief-Based Account”, Journal of Performance Magic 8(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.5920/jpm.1557
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